A Practical Consideration of Scanning Helium Microscopy
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A PRACTICAL CONSIDERATION OF SCANNING HELIUM MICROSCOPY Adam Joseph Fahy, BSc (Hons.) A thesis submitted towards the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Physics) The University of Newcastle, Australia December 2018 ii DECLARATION I hereby certify that the work embodied in the thesis is my own work, conducted under normal supervision. The thesis contains published scholarly work of which I am a co-author. For each such work a written statement, endorsed by my co-authors, attesting to my contribution to the joint work has been included. The thesis contains no material which has been accepted, or is being examined, for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution and, to the best of my knowledge and belief, contains no material previously published or written by another person, except where due reference has been made in the text. I give consent to the final version of my thesis being made available worldwide when deposited in the University’s Digital Repository, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968 and any approved embargo. Adam Joseph Fahy December 2018 I hereby certify that the work embodied in this thesis contains published paper/s/scholarly work of which I am a joint author. I have included as part of the thesis this written statement, endorsed in writing by my supervisor, attesting to my contribution to the joint publication/s/scholarly work. _______________________________ Paul Dastoor iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS “Being a writer is a very peculiar sort of a job: it’s always you versus a blank sheet of paper (or a blank screen), and quite often the blank piece of paper wins.” – Neil Gaiman Writing these acknowledgements is a rather surreal experience, as it signals an end to the unique mix of triumph and tragedy that is a PhD. I would like to take a moment to thank the long list of people who have helped me in this undertaking – without you, none of it would have been possible. First and foremost, my thanks to my principle supervisor Professor Paul Dastoor. I have appreciated your wisdom, your patience, and most of all your enthusiasm towards the pursuit of knowledge. Ever since I turned up at your office door as a summer scholarship student (and received an 80- minute long sermon on the virtues of helium microscopy!), you have guided my development into the scientist I am today. To my co-supervisor Dr. Xiaojing Zhou – your invaluable support and wonderful sense of humour have always been sincerely appreciated. My work has benefitted greatly from your input. When I first started, the helium microscopy at Newcastle consisted of a single PhD student working in a dark corner of a laboratory. To that lone PhD student, the now distinguished Dr. Kane O’Donnell: you managed to take a naïve undergraduate student and introduce him to the true realities of experimental science. Your talent and commitment to your work will always be an inspiration. One of my greatest joys has been to watch the evolution of the SHeM project from this humble beginning into the fully fledged research group we are now. To the members of our team, both past and present – Joel Martens, Therese Pederson, Kirren Thompson, Angus Shorter, Tom Myles, and our most recent addition, Dr. Sabrina Eder – thank iv you all. Your labours have been many and varied; from the design and construction of instruments, to onerous data collection, to proof reading parts this thesis! Each and every one of you have provided much-needed comradery in face of the whims of vacuum science. I am indebted to you all, and cannot wait to see what we are able to build together in the future. Any discussion of the SHeM team would be incomplete without mention of my dear friend and PhD brother in arms, Dr. Matthew Barr. It has been a rare privilege to undertake these long years with a trusted ally there every step of the way. My own growth a scientist has been bolstered by your remarkable acumen, mechanical expertise, and a dogged determination bordering on the obsessive. Most of all, I have appreciated your generous nature and relentless sense of humour. I cannot ever repay you for the assistance you have provided, but I look forward to trying. The opportunity to spend three months working at the Cavendish laboratories would have been a daunting experience if not for a research group that welcomed the Australian interlopers with open arms. In particular, I would like to thank Bill Allison, Andrew Jardine, John Ellis, Donald MacLaren, David Ward, Eliza McIntosh, Barbara Lechner, David Chisnall, and Pepijn Kole. The dedication, skill and creativity on display during that period have been a constant source of inspiration during my PhD. Hopefully we can share a few more pints down at the Red Bull soon. Finally, to my friends and family, and especially to Jasmin – words simply cannot express how much your love and support has meant to me. The patience shown through the entire endeavour has been awe-inspiring, and your ability to find the silver lining in any situation continues to amaze. Thank you for seeing me through. v PUBLICATION LIST The author and collaborators published the following papers during the term of the present thesis. A. Publications related to this thesis: Barr, M., Fahy, A., Jardine, A., Ellis, J., Ward, D., MacLaren, D.A., Allison, W., and Dastoor, P.C. (2014). A design for a pinhole scanning helium microscope. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, 340, 76-80. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2014.06.028. Fahy, A., Barr, M., Martens, J., & Dastoor, P.C. (2015). A highly contrasting scanning helium microscope. Review of Scientific Instruments, 86(2), 023704. doi:10.1063/1.4907539. Barr, M., Fahy, A., Martens, J., Jardine, A.P., Ward, D.J., Ellis, J., Allison, W., and Dastoor, P.C. (2016). Unlocking new contrast in a scanning helium microscope. Nature Communications, 7, 10189, doi:10.1038/ncomms10189. Barr, M., Fahy, A., Martens, J., & Dastoor, P.C. (2016). A simple counter- flow cooling system for a supersonic free-jet beam source assembly. Review of Scientific Instruments, 87(5), 053301. doi:10.1063/1.4948391. Fahy, A., Eder, S.D., Barr, M., Martens, J., Myles, T.A., & Dastoor, P.C. (2018). Image formation in the scanning helium microscope. Ultramicroscopy, 192, 7-13. doi:10.1016/j.ultramic.2018.05.004. B. Publications not related to this thesis: Fahy, A., O'Donnell, K.M., Barr, M., Zhou, X.J., Allison, W., & Dastoor, P.C. (2011). Development of an improved field ionization detector incorporating a secondary electron stage. Measurement Science and Technology, 22(11), 115902. Barr, M., O'Donnell, K.M., Fahy, A., Allison, W., & Dastoor, P.C. (2012). A desktop supersonic free-jet beam source for a scanning helium microscope (SHeM). Measurement Science and Technology, 23(10), 105901. O'Donnell, K.M., Fahy, A., Barr, M., Allison, W., & Dastoor, P.C. (2012). Field ionization detection of helium using a planar array of carbon nanotubes. Physical Review B, 85(11), 113404. vi Shearer, C.J., Fahy, A., Barr, M., Dastoor, P.C., & Shapter, J.G. (2012). Improved field emission stability from single-walled carbon nanotubes chemically attached to silicon. Nanoscale Research Letters, 7(1), 432, doi: 10.1186/1556-276X-7-432. Shearer, C.J., Fahy, A., Barr, M., Moore, K.E., Dastoor, P.C., & Shapter, J.G. (2012). Field emission from single-, double-, and multi-walled carbon nanotubes chemically attached to silicon. Journal of Applied Physics, 111(4), 044326, doi: 10.1063/1.3687363. Martens, J., Fahy, A., Barr, M., Jardine, A., Allison, W., & Dastoor, P.C. (2014). Development of a permanent magnet alternative for a solenoidal ion source. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, 340, 85-89. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2014.07.033. O'Donnell, K.M., Warschkow, O., Suleman, A., Fahy, A., Thomsen, L., & Schofield, S.R. (2015). Manipulating the orientation of an organic adsorbate on silicon: a NEXAFS study of acetophenone on Si(0 0 1), Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 27(5), 054002. Andersen, T.R., Almyahi, F., Cooling, N.A. Elkington, D., Wiggins, L., Fahy, A., Feron, K., Vaughan, B., Griffith, M.J., Mozer, A.J., Sae-kung, C., Wallace, G.G., Belcher, W.J., & Dastoor, P.C. (2016). Comparison of inorganic electron transport layers in fully roll-to-roll coated/printed organic photovoltaics in normal geometry. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 4(41), 15986-15996, doi: 10.1039/C6TA06746H. Holmes, N.P., Marks, M., Kumar, P., Kroon, R., Barr, M.G., Nicolaidis, N., Feron, K., Pivrikas, A., Fahy, A., Mendaza, A.D.Z., Kilcoyne, A.L.D., Müller, C., Zhou, X., Andersson, M.R., Dastoor, P.C. & Belcher, W.J. (2016). Nano-pathways: Bridging the divide between water-processable nanoparticulate and bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaics. Nano Energy, 19, 495-510. Tsarev, S., Collins, R.N., Fahy, A., & Waite, T.D. (2016). Reduced Uranium Phases Produced from Anaerobic Reaction with Nanoscale Zerovalent Iron, Environmental Science and Technology, 50(5), 2595- 2601, doi: 10.1021/acs.est.5b06160. Tsarev, S., Collins, R.N., Ilton, E.S., Fahy, A., & Waite, T.D. (2016). The short-term reduction of uranium by nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI): role of oxide shell, reduction mechanism and the formation of U(v)-carbonate phases, Environmental Science: Nano, 4(4), 1304-1313, doi: 10.1039/C7EN00024C. Almyahi, F., Andersen, T.R., Cooling, Holmes, N.P., Fahy, A., Barr, M.G., Kilcoyne, D., Belcher, W.J., & Dastoor, P.C.